Teenagers and their Umbrella

The Umbrella

We have an old nearly discarded blue and white umbrella,
When the chickens first started going outside, we put this
umbrella over their enclosure.  They've  become accustomed
to it.  Now even though we have a tarp to shade them, they
run towards the umbrella.  It's funny and yet touching.  This
is something they've seen since they were days old that they
associate with safety. Who would think they hold any value
toward such a thing?  But they do.  It's a part of their childhood.
And though 7 weeks old now--they still remember the umbrella. 
I'm amazed and hooked on chicken raising.

Our plans were to get the coop started today--but the winds
were too heavy to do so.

And then the truck quit working.  My partner can fix anything,
but this is the second time this has happened.  I think it needs
diagnostics run on it. But he is stubborn (as much as I am)--
so that will never happen.

Only one hummer here now--a male ruby throat.  At least that
is one that is supposed to be here now!

All for tonight.

kate thorn

The Teens and Growing Things

The Teens (baby chicks) are not so much babies anymore.  They are
not grown--only 6 seeks old.  And comical.  Interesting chicken facts:
A chicken has a normal body temp of around 102 degrees.  Its heart beats
between 280 and 315 times per minute.  Average lifespan is 5-7 years,
although 20 years is not unknown.  (this info courtesy of Backyard Chickens--
Gide to Coops and Tractors.)  My favorite tractor is the A-frame, but doubt
 it is the most practical.

Back to the teens--one escaped from the tub and was found in the sink,
looking at itself in the mirror. Later on, in the same night, 2 escaped and
were found looking in the mirror.

What they saw was a juvenile red jersey hybrid--with yellow peach fuzz
all over their face.  They should be living outside by now--kinda hard to
build the chicken tractor with daily deluges of rain.  Yesterday it didn't
rain--but the weather called for it, and it threatened nearly all day.  We
are supposed to get some good weather for about 3 days.  One person
in the book about chicken coops had this to say:  "I went to Lowes and
came home with about 800.00 worth of building supplies for 14.00 worth
of chickens."  We are slightly ahead of him--only because my partner is
always on the lookout for a deal.  The wood was uncured--then, 3 years
later, it's ready to be used and part of it will be for the coop.  All we need is
a few dry days.  And the the teens will have their own cedar house--Yay!
And he gets the honor of cloroxing and sanitizing the bathroom!!  Several times!

We are growing creasy beans (green beans, these are the old fashioned variety
that taste wonderful.)   Soybeans, African daisies to keep pests out of
the garden.  Zephyr Squash (delicious) and summer crooked neck squash.
More tomatoes than a body could ever eat.  I have one (Black Krim) growing
right off the porch--it literally was rained out of its container.  Yum-Yum pepers.
Bok choy, which I love only second to leeks.  Cucumbers, Sugar Snap Peas,
and  some maybe cauliflower--which is green! Lastly in the first of 4 trays is
Orange Butterfly Bushes.  There are also 12-24 sunflowers planted--of the giant
variety--and one row of the smaller sunflowers. There are "long beans"
which my partner wanted to try, a row of peas, a row of watermelons, some
scarlet runner beans, and some black cherry tomatoes--and last of all, some
hummingbird mix--a row.

That isn't counting all the lettuce, radishes,  and carrots,  Another blueberry
bush and 4 redbud trees are on their way here, and a few other things.  Last
year we grew everything in containers, and by the time we got everything
moved, some didn't make it.  However, the lavender did and is blooming out
now!

I fell asleep while watching TV.  I have Raynaud's disease and polymyosites.
Both are autoimmune diseases--activated when I was injured at work.  Both
can be serious.  Both cause you to feel as if all energy has been drained from
your body.  I hate when this happens--but the Mayo Clinic says to rest more,
sleep more, try not to worry, and eventually, it will pass. (Easy for them to say!)

I woke up at 2AM--and now I'm going back to bed.  GoodNight all!

Kate Thorn

Teenagers and Blueberries and Ducks

Just when I think I have my yard figured out . . . not so.
At this point I think half will be in poultry, ducks, and
quail. The other half will be garden and orchard.  So far,
we have 4 apple trees, 3 kinds of grapes and fig trees
and blueberry bushes (3 types).  Blueberries are
exceptionally good  nutritionally speaking. And so are
quail eggs.  And duck eggs! Won't be much yard left
to mow!  There is small bank below the house that leads
to a road--that's where the sunflowers will go!

There are these runner ducks that are blue, or black,
(and other colors).  Not only are they pretty, but
they enjoy being OUT of the water--truly ducks out of
water--and as a bonus, one can turn them loose in
a garden and they will weed it as well.  They will eat
all but what you have planted.  Amazing.

I am really new to all this.  It has been a very long time
since I planted a garden.  And most planting is done
in the jiffy pots that can be planted directly into the ground.
(I didn't know this at and destroyed one squash plant
when getting it out of the tiny flimsy container.) But its
pouring the rain--I hope this batch of seedlings doesn't
get destroyed by too much rain.  Weather-wise, this has been
one strange year. 

About the teenagers:  I am referring to the no longer little
chicks--oh yeah, they are definitely teenagers now.  They
have graduated to outside--but only in the daytime. At
they come inside--yes still.

The electric fence arrived 2 days ago; it's not hooked up
yet, but my partner set it up in the yard so they could have
more freedom.  They ran everywhere; exercised their
wings, flew around a bit--only 2 feet off the ground.

The next thing they did was walk through the fence--they
are still small enough to do that.  Thus began the battle of
my partner trying to keep them inside the fence and their
teenage determination to do whatever they wanted to do.
And they wanted to peck the carefully nurtured tomato
plants--and that went back and forth between him and the
chickens-- hysterically funny.  He finally gave up (around
noon) and put them in the smaller fence, with the umbrella
over the top .  Trust me, these are spoiled chickens.  Any
critter/plant we have is spoiled.  Example:  the trees I
obtained via the Arbor Day Foundation are STILL in the
house.  He finally said the one that is 2 feet tall now can
go outside on the porch.  The tree is a Goldenraintree.
I have a Washington Haw tree nearly as high, so I'm
going to push for it more freedom later this morning.

Out of what appeared to be twigs, all have made it but
1--a redbud tree.  I haven't given up on it completely,
but I am getting at least 2 more redbud trees. I have,
from twiglets, 2 crabapple trees, only the one redbud,
2 Washington Hawthorn, 2 white Dogwood tree, 2
Goldenraintrees, and 2 Crepe Myrtle.  All for sum
of 10 bucks--but after lots of babying, I can see them
as trees in the yard.

I didn't want quail-until I ran across this site--
(Furbelow Farms) and read just how nutritious their
eggs were--and I was sold! 

I just went outside and rescued the 4 trays of
seeds just planted a few days ago,and were they
ever flooded.  Hope it clears up today and sun
comes out today.  Morning birds are singing,
Rain or no, it is a wonderful day!!

kate thorn

Once again--the racoon wars

We set a trap for the raccoon--live catch of course.
About 10:30PM. it caught one--only it was a really
small female possum.  TJ woke up to check it around
midnight.  We turned it loose.  It was really cold outside.
I personally think we are skipping summer this year,

Around  1230am the trap went off again.  I couldn't
believe it.  We caught the same possum--only my
partner was sound asleep and I couldn't get the trap
open.

Morning came.  He opened the trap.  The possum
was so scared that it took it an hour to get up the
nerve to leave.

I saw 2 male birds that I have not seen since 1978.
Two Scarlet Tanagers.  The aren't seen often here.
Maybe they were blown of course like the 2
hummers.  The females look nothing like the males,
so it's possible that they were in the trees and
neither of us noticed them.  The scarlet tanagers
aren't just a red--they are brilliant red--my partner
described the red as a neon red--and with bleck
wings.

It is pouring the rain outside--a very cold rain.
The heat is on in side and it May the 5th.  I'm
beginning to think I am in CO or some other
western mountainous state.  This just isn't NC
weather--especially for May !

All for now.  I'm going back to dreamland.

Kate Thorn

Raccoon War

Once again the raccoon war continues.  It managed to reach the
hummingbird feeder and yanked it down for spite.  I was told this
racoon was a large male.  I didn't ask my partner how one could
tell male from female.  I really didn't want to know; however, I
did note that the males had a nasty attitude whereas the females
did not--unless they had their babies with them.

I didn't see the "black chinned" hummer today--of course now
I am doubting the black chinned part and have begun to think
ir is a Lucifer, a really rare one, because of the amount of purple
I saw on it and the hunched way it sat and it did have a notched
tail.  Unlike the ruby throats, this hummer was shy and ranged
far and wide searching for food..

The chickens continue to fledge--soon to go outside.  On warm
days, they stay outside all day.  If one stops and looks at you, all
eight do the same.  I can tell them it is time for them to sleep and to
quieten down--and they get quiet.  I didn't know chickens were
trainable!

Still working on the retaining wall.  It's a tough project.  Maybe,
weather permitting, it will be done today.

All for now--Kate